How To Protect Yourself From IRS Scams

Fraudsters steal money and personal information by impersonating the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and falsely claim that you have an outstanding balance or a tax refund. They may also use law enforcement and legal threats to pressure you and legitimize their demands. Learn how to protect yourself by understanding the differences between a legitimate call from the IRS and a scam.

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What you need to know

Fraudsters make threats of legal action and arrest warrants to force you into making a payment.
IRS scams can happen through phone, text, email or by mail. Look out for aggressive language and suspicious links or forms asking for personal information.
Take your time to understand the situation. Don't let anyone pressure you into making rushed decisions or payments.

What's an IRS scam?

Fraudsters steal money and personal information by impersonating the IRS to make their demands seem legitimate. They'll either pressure you with threats of legal or law enforcement action to send money for a false outstanding balance or they'll ask for personal information under the pretense of issuing a tax refund.

IRS scams typically follow a similar pattern:

A fraudster reaches out to you and says they're from the IRS. This can happen through a phone call, email, text message or by mail.
The fraudster will make an urgent demand. The demand is usually immediate payment for taxes you allegedly owe. Sometimes, they'll ask for personal information like your bank account details or Social Security Number (SSN) to process a tax refund.
If the demand is for payment, the fraudster will make aggressive threats to force you to pay quickly.
The fraudster may take your money under the pretense that you paid an outstanding balance, or steal your identity because you provided personal information.

Signs of an IRS scam

You're told to make an immediate payment by using a digital payment platform like Zelle^® or other payment methods like prepaid cards, gift cards or cryptocurrency
You're threatened with aggressive language, legal action or arrest
You receive an email or text that asks you to enter your personal information or make a payment through a link
You're asked to meet in a public place to make a payment
You receive a text from the IRS; the IRS never communicates with taxpayers through text message or instant messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp

Stay safe with our tips

Only provide personal or banking information when you've initiated the call to a known number or contact. Never provide it when an unknown party asks you.
Try to authenticate the caller. Fraudsters can spoof phone numbers to appear legitimate, so don't rely on call display alone.
Take your time to understand the request or situation. The IRS never makes threats about money you owe, so don't rush into making a payment if you're being threatened. To determine if you owe a balance, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 Opens your phone app..

Don't agree to meet someone in a public place to make a payment.
Set up direct deposit with the IRS so you can receive any refunds efficiently and safely.
File your taxes with an accountant, a trusted company with a good reputation or directly through the IRS. Scammers will claim they can get you the most money back, but instead will steal your information.

Explore more about IRS scams

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Recognize the different types of scammer tactics and take action against tax scams.

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Report fraud when it happens and track the latest data on fraud happening across the country.

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Read about the latest consumer and industry fraud alerts and how to protect your information.

Learn how to protect yourself from IRS scams

What you need to know

What's an IRS scam?

Signs of an IRS scam

Stay safe with our tips

Explore more about IRS scams

Continue to Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?

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